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08/06/2013

Democrats go old school to attack Cuccinelli on gifts

In the digital age campaigns are looking for every possible new and innovative way to get their message to you. From web ads to mobile apps to a major push to social media it is difficult to escape the political machine.

However the Democratic Party of Virginia, which has attempted in every which way to remind voters of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's connection to Star Scientific, is using an old but tried and true way to engage voters.

A billboard.

The digital billboard is live now on the west side of I-195 and south of I-64/I-95 in Richmond. It shows a picture of Cuccinelli with a turkey, a vacation home and a private jet. All examples of the gifts Cuccinelli received from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams.

Democrats have chided Cuccinelli to reimburse Williams the equivalent value of the gifts, which is around $18,000. They say Cuccinelli should follow the lead of Governor Bob McDonnell who is in the process of returning all the gifts given to him by Williams.

Cuccinelli initially failed to disclose some of those gifts, but later admitted to forgetting and then reported them all. He referred his case to Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael Herring, a Democrat, who later determined there no evidence Cuccinelli had committed a crime.

Cuccinelli has repeatedly refused all requests to return the gifts, in part because they weren't given in cash and he can't "give back" something like a turkey dinner.

Last night when we asked Cuccinelli about returning the gifts and he echoed his earlier comments.

"If Ken Cuccinelli
won't come clean and reimburse the value of the scandal gifts then he should
have to explain why not to the people of Virginia, including the Richmond
commuters who see his face on a billboard on their way to work everyday," said party spokesman Brian Coy

Coy said the billboard will stay up a week, unless Cuccinelli decides that he will indeed reimburse Wiliams.

Cuccinelli meantime is continuing his push to get the Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe to release his full tax returns. Especially enlight of the news of an SEC investigation into the company he founded, GreenTech.

"It is not that hard to match what I've done," Cuccinelli said. "He's presumably done the taxes release them."